The new power of China

Mao Zedong died in 1976 and his regime went on.

There were some protests against communism within China between April and June 1989. Many people concentrated in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, which became the centre of the revolution. The Chinese government declared the martial law and the army controlled the situation. It is still unknown the actual figure of casualties in these protests.

The communist leader Deng Xiaoping implemented new measures to improve the Chinese economy: Market socialism. Communism and capitalism were combined. Communes were dismantled. The land was distributed among the farmers, who could sell their own products. Foreign businesses have been allowed to settle in China. The cheap workforce has made Chinese industry very competitive.

There has been a huge economic growth in China and it has become the second leading economic power. Xiaoping’s followers, Jiang Zeming and Hu Jintao have followed the same policy. China has re-taken over the British colony of Hong Kong (1997) and the Portuguese Macau (1999).

There are still some open conflicts in Tibet, where there are revolts that have claimed for its independence since the Chinese invasion in 1950. China also claims for the control of Taiwan, whose political and economic situation has been completely different since the Communist Revolution in 1949.